Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis addresses the media during the Winter session of the State Legislative Assembly, outside Vidhan Bhavan in Nagpur, Wednesday, Dec. 18, 2024.
PTI
Mumbai: Amid the criticism heaped by Maha Vikas Aghadi leaders, Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis on Thursday announced judicial probes into the the Parbhani violence after the desecration of replica of Constitution in Parbhani and the brutal abduction and murder of a sarpanch from Beed.
On December 10, large-scale violence, arson, stone-pelting, vandalism of public and private property was reported from the Parbhani town of Marathwada region of Maharashtra.
The chaotic scenes unfolded during a bandh called to protest the vandalism of replica copy of the Constitution that was placed in a glass box near a statue of Dr Babasaheb Ambedkar.
One of the accused, Somnath Suryawanshi, who was arrested in case of the violence, died in the judicial custody on 15 December. Suryawanhi hailed from the Wadar community.
Then, on December 9, Massejeog village's sarpanch, Santosh Deshmukh, was kidnapped and murdered brutally.
Massejeog is located in the Kaij tehsil of the Beed district.
The accused was identified as Vishnu Chate, a local NCP worker. After the incident, Ajit Pawar-led NCP expelled Chate as his name cropped up.
In another extortion case lodged by the local windmill company, among the accused was one Walmiki Karad — who is said to be close to NCP Minister Dhananjay Munde — besides Chate and some other associates.
The killing of the village headman snowballed into a caste issue as the victim was a Maratha while the prime accused belongs to OBC-Vanjari community – both at loggerheads over the ongoing reservation agitation.
On the Beed incident, Fadnavis said that Karad and his associates have been booked for extortion of Rs 2 crore and will be charged under MCOCA in the murder case.
The Beed Superintendent of Police will also be transferred.
“The Special Investigation Team has already been constituted under the inspector general of police to probe the killing incident. On the other hand, the judicial probe will be conducted in the ecosystem that has generated the lawlessness in the district. The report of the probe is expected to be submitted in six months," he said.
About the Parbhani incident, the Chief Minister said: “A judicial inquiry into the Parbhani violence will be done to clear all doubts. Dr Babasaheb Ambedkar is not limited to any caste. He belongs to all.”
Fadnavis also announced financial help of Rs 10 lakh to the families of Suryawanshi and Deshmukh.
About the death of Somnath Suryawanshi after his arrest in connection with the violence, Fadnavis said he told a magistrate that the police did not torture him.
Medical examination showed there were old injuries on his body and he was suffering from breathlessness. CCTV footage and evidence prove that no force was used on Suryawanshi during his custody, the CM said.
“We should introspect if lawlessness should be tolerated. There was a total loss of Rs 1.89 crore due to the damages to vehicles and shops. There were no combing operations (by police). Only those involved in rioting were picked up,” he said.
The CM assured the House that those responsible for “unleashing” anarchy in Beed district would be punished irrespective of their political links.
Sharing the details tied to the sarpanch murder, Fadnavis said on December 6, Ashok Ghule, Sudarshan Ghule and Pratik Ghule went to the site of an energy project site in Beed district and beat up the watchman Amardeep Sonawane and project manager Shivaji Thopte.
Deshmukh was informed about the incident as the Ghules are from the neighbouring village, he said.
Fadnavis said that on December 9, Deshmukh’s vehicle was intercepted by a black Scorpio and another car at a toll naka. He was pulled out and bundled into the Scorpio, the CM told the House.
Deshmukh was mercilessly thrashed inside the car, taken out and again beaten up. “The accused fled after realising that Deshmukh had died,” he said.
Fadnavis said Deshmukh’s brother was in touch with one Vishnu Chate pleading with him to let go of the sarpanch. Chate was the former tehsil chief of NCP in Beed district.
Before Deshmukh’s murder, manager Thopte of the energy company had filed a police complaint on November 29 alleging an extortion bid, he said.
The complaint said that one Walmik Karad talked over the phone to Sunil Shinde and Chate when they were present at the company’s office in Massajog village. Karad demanded that the company stop the work. That day, Sudarshan Ghule also came to the office and asked the company official to stop work.
Project manager Thopte was subsequently called to Parli, where Karad threatened and asked him to either stop the work or pay Rs 2 crore, Fadnavis said.
“The link between the extortion and murder is being probed. I assure the House that the mastermind in the case will be brought to book. If Walmik Karad’s involvement in the murder is established, action would be taken. His involvement in the extortion case has been proved,” said the CM.
Opposition leaders have claimed that Karad is a close associate of NCP minister Dhananjay Munde who hails from Beed district.
While Deshmukh was a Maratha, some of the accused including Chate belonged to the Other Backward Classes. This had given a caste angle to the incident, especially against the backdrop of the Maratha quota agitation and opposition by OBCs to it.
(With PTI inputs)